This whimsical collection of birdhouses cracks me up. When I spotted them at the Red Oak II Community in Missouri, I had to pause and stare. I pictured cartoonish birds in their little neighborhood, flying from house to house borrowing cups of sugar or seed. I love cute little houses! 3 Favorites: 1 - My childhood playhouse, which was a shabby shed found near the alley. We rescued it to the yard and neighbors helped repair, paint and sew curtains. 2- The dollhouse I made at 15. I drew up plans and had my sister help me cut plywood using the table saw, at FSU's theatre scene shop. 3- Don & I stayed in a Victorian "Tiny House", built with refurbished materials...antique windows, doors & furniture. It was right out of a storybook!
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I like a good read, but I also like a fun read! Jamie, Heidi and I were hardly reading in this photo, from 2 years go. We were actually concentrating more on trying to blow bubbles than absorbing the retro comic books. But did have fun and it reminds me of other good times, reading with others. Reading Together Times: Reading scary stories aloud on camping trips, laughing over fan magazines at teen slumber parties, as a kid sharing the Sunday "funnies" with siblings, reading to my own kids and annoying them when I wanted to use accents.... And 5th grade, after every lunch recess, when we came in hot and sweaty and laid heads on desks, while Mrs. T. read the whole series of "Little House" books.
Whether it's a 2-week road trip or an afternoon drive, I love a 2-lane road. Just the sight of one makes me relax. Favorite Highways: Sections of Route 66 in Oklahoma, Florida's Tamiami Trail in 1960's, with scattered motels, billboards and orange juice stands, US-50 in Arizona, where it's known as the Loneliest Road in America and a winding section of road in Missouri, known as Devil's Elbow.
I like the idea of kids growing up around critters like, cows, pigs &chickens. I didn't have many opportunities to interact with farm animals as a child and neither did my own kids. But in Oklahoma, we had Wooloroc and in St. Louis we had Purina Farms, where my kids had some good animal encounters. Heidi doesn't look like she trusts this pig very much, but she actually was pretty game when it came to animals. She was always eager to get up close to handle, pet, ride or hug any kind of beast. She just didn't want to share her bag of cotton candy with any of them! Farm related stories & songs I once adored: Charlotte's Web, non- tornado farm scenes with Dorothy in Kansas, playing Farmer in the Dell, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Ma & Pa Kettle movies....
Actually there's a lot I don't love about spider webs, but I do love coming across a spiderweb, like this one in my backyard. Especially early morning, untouched and dew covered. Good things about webs & spiders: Watching spiders at work, building webs, Daddy Long Legs when I was a kid, little kids singing Itsy Bitsy Spider or better yet, Little Richard doing his whacky version of the song... and I do love the overdone, silly display of stage prop spiderwebs in a spooky movie or play.
This face has been making me laugh and smile for 27 years now. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCOTT! Faces I Remember: His so pitiful crying face as an infant, wide-eyed and open mouth surprise with Xmas gifts, first time seeing Scott in a BEARD, goofy faces he makes these days with his dog, Lola and the big smile we've been seeing a lot of since he and Chali got engaged!
Who doesn't love puppies! This is a photo of one of the many boxer dogs our family owned. It was taken in the early 70's when my family lived in Tallahassee, FL and weather was hot enough that we all enjoyed getting a little wet. Whats good about puppies? They have enough energy to share with a family of 6, their accidents are at least small, they smell so dang good after baths, they are a piece of heaven when they fall asleep in your arms, you can't stop smiling when you watch them play...
Courtyards just seem peaceful and safe. This photo shows a castle courtyard, viewed through one of the windows. Europe? Nope. Some recreated castle by a very rich man for his winery in California. But it was lovely and that's what counts. My Dream Courtyard: Lots of stone and ivy, ponds with fountains & fish, comfy cushioned seating that preferably rocks or glides, shady areas and sunny areas, a trickling creek with bridge, fragrant flowers and trees, some little creatures like bunnies, birds... and I might need a St. Francis statue since I've just described his world!
This looks more like "laughing" than giggling... but I already used "laughing" on Day 9. But I love this picture of "Daw" and me cutting up, 30+ years ago. It looks like a good old belly laugh... but Daw preferred the word navel. She was sweetly reserved, precious and and proper... in a good way. And that's why it was so fun to get her laughing. I just adored our generous grandmother. She would have been 120 on this very 4th of July! Ways to Make Daw Laugh: Give her slimy, plastic fishing worms for her birthday... ask to jiggle her wobbly upper arms when you are very young... present her with yellow sweat pants to wear under her dress when it's cold. (she preferred calling them ski pants)... and maybe wear a hideous hair-do? Maybe that's why we are laughing in this photo!
A breeze can make the Texas heat bearable. But even a photo that hints at a breeze, can be refreshing. It wasn't exactly hot some years ago, when my friend Lorrie and I drove out to the small Texas town of Fayetteville. Lorrie brought old baskets and I brought quilts. We helped ourselves to the clothesline, behind an uninhabited house and snapped with our cameras. A steady breeze kept those quilts swaying! Good Breezes: Summer nights at my grandmother's, when her attic fan helped pull the cool air through the window, into the warm bedroom... today, when the breeze hit my bamboo wind-chimes and made my yard sound tropical... willow trees with a gentle breeze... just enough breeze for a kite... a breeze that carries the smells of my neighbors' grill... the song "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Crofts...
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